Prædikeren 7
1 Godt Navn er bedre end ypperlig Salve, Dødsdag bedre end Fødselsdag;
A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
2 bedre at gaa til et Sørgehus end at gaa til et Gildehus; thi hist er alle Menneskers Ende, og de levende bør tage det til Hjerte.
It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart.
3 Bedre Græmmelse end Latter, thi er Minerne mørke, har Hjertet det godt.
Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
4 De vises Hjerte er i Sørgehuset. Taabernes Hjerte i Glædeshuset.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 Bedre at høre paa Vismands Skænd end at høre paa Taabers Sang.
It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
6 Som Tjørnekvistes Knitren under Gryden er Taabers Latter; ogsaa det er Tomhed.
For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.
7 Thi uredelig Vinding gør Vismand til Daare, og Stikpenge ødelægger Hjertet.
Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 En Sags Udgang er bedre end dens Indgang, Taalmod er bedre end Hovmod.
The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
9 Vær ikke hastig i dit Sind til at græmmes, thi Græmmelse bor i Taabers Bryst.
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
10 Spørg ikke: »Hvoraf kommer det, at de gamle Dage var bedre end vore?« Thi saaledes spørger du ikke med Visdom.
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.
11 Bedre er Visdom end Arv, en Fordel for dem, som skuer Solen;
Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.
12 thi Visdom skygger, som Penge skygger, men Kundskabs Fortrin er dette, at Visdom holder sin Mand i Live.
For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
13 Se paa Guds Værk! Hvo kan rette, hvad han har gjort kroget?
Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?
14 Vær ved godt Mod paa den gode Dag og indse paa den onde Dag, at Gud skabte denne saavel som hin, for at Mennesket ikke skal finde noget efter sig.
In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.
15 Begge Dele saa jeg i mine tomme Dage: Der er retfærdige, som omkommer i deres Retfærdighed, og der er gudløse, som lever længe i deres Ondskab.
In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
16 Vær ikke alt for retfærdig og te dig ikke overvættes viis; hvorfor vil du ødelægge dig selv?
Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
17 Vær ikke alt for gudløs og vær ingen Daare; hvorfor vil du dø i Utide?
Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
18 Det bedste er, at du fastholder det ene og ikke slipper det andet; thi den, der frygter Gud, vil undgaa begge Farer.
It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.
19 Visdom gør Vismand stærkere end ti Magthavere i Byen.
Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
20 Thi intet Menneske er saa retfærdigt paa Jorden, at han kun gør gode Gerninger og aldrig synder.
Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
21 Giv ikke Agt paa alle de Ord, Folk siger, at du ikke skal høre din Træl forbande dig;
Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
22 thi du ved med dig selv, at ogsaa du mange Gange har forbandet andre.
For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 Alt dette ransagede jeg med Visdom; jeg tænkte: »Jeg vil vorde viis.« Men Visdom holdt sig langt fra mig;
All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.
24 Tingenes Grund er langt borte, saa dyb, saa dyb; hvem kan finde den?
What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
25 Jeg tog mig for at vende min Hu til Kundskab og Granskning og til at søge efter Visdom og sikker Viden og til at kende, at Gudløshed er Taabelighed, Daarskab Vanvid.
I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.
26 Og beskere end Døden fandt jeg Kvinden, thi hun er et Fangegarn; hendes Hjerte er et Net og hendes Arme Lænker. Den, som er Gud kær, undslipper hende, men Synderen bliver hendes Fange.
And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.
27 Se, det fandt jeg ud, sagde Prædikeren, ved at lægge det ene til det andet for at drage min Slutning.
“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.
28 Hvad min Sjæl stadig søgte, men ikke fandt, er dette: Een Mand fandt jeg blandt tusind, men en Kvinde fandt jeg ikke i hele Flokken.
While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.
29 Dog se, det fandt jeg, at Gud har skabt Menneskene, som de bør være; men de har saa mange sære Ting for.
Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
